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a playground with a slide

Playground Turf Buying Guide – What to Look For in Backyard Ground Cover

Homeowners have many options when beginning an outdoor playground project. For residential swing sets, treehouses, play areas, and more, synthetic grass has provided greater safety and cleanliness. This is why synthetic grass has become a serious contender when selecting ground coverage.

Not all turfs are created equal! There are quite a few factors to keep in mind when selecting the right turf for your project. The correct blade length, durability, drainage, treatments, and padding must all be selected based on the unique needs of each family. While many homeowners choose longer blades, such as Turf Tek USA's Pet/Play Extreme, some opt for a shorter blade, which can be found in synthetic options such as Turf Tek USA's Sport XT Extreme. Turf Tek USA carries many types of Play Equipment Manufacturer's Association certified products.

Longer blades provide a more natural appearance, popular for installations in backyards but shorter blades are good for all types of projects from playgrounds to pathways. Both have the same benefits in terms of drainage and durability.

There are many factors regarding safety and durability that determine whether a specific turf is suitable for playground installations. Turf Tek USA is a leading provider and installer of synthetic grass playground surfaces, and for us, safety is always priority #1, especially when it comes to children and pets. For play areas, where our little ones are expected to run, jump, and often fall injuries can be greatly reduced through the use of the right padding and synthetic grass combination. The right installation is also crucial to the performance of your play area. Calculating the impact ratio to ensure that the surface will protect your little one based on their age, size, the size and type of playground equipment and other factors is one key difference from a playground installer and a general landscape installer. Padding is used beneath the synthetic grass to create fall safety zones that protect and offer that clean, inviting appearance which only synthetic grass can provide. Turf Tek USA materials and installations all meet Head Impact Code (HIC) standards. These standards are crucial to ensure the safety of areas where children play.

Turf Tek USA synthetic grass is also hypo-allergenic, free of fertilizer, pesticides, and bugs. Heat Block Technology® allows Turf Tek's products to stay up to 20% cooler than the competitors'! This limits irritation and further reduces any possible danger to users. While synthetic grass provides a forgiving surface for playing, it's also a great option for any high-activity area, as it boasts resilient qualities in terms of durability and resistance to wear. With playground surfaces from Turf Tek USA, there is no need to worry about patchy grass or unwieldy wood chips becoming a costly eyesore or a maintenance expense.

Drainage is a crucial part to all landscape design projects and synthetic grass is no exception. No matter the cut, Turf Tek USA's synthetic grass is a great choice with superior drainage capabilities. When used in conjunction with safety padding, Turf Tek USA's installation are capable of draining large amounts of water FAST. When it rains, your kids will be back outside much sooner, and you won't need to worry about all that mud! Pooling and puddling can occur with other lower quality synthetic grass providers, but not with Turf Tek USA. We use high quality porous turfs for playground and back yard installations!

For more information or help deciding which synthetic grass is right for your home, get in touch with a Turf Tek USA specialist. We have experts ready to assist you in all aspects of your turf project!